Spotted on the T: OFFICIAL CYPHER

March 21, 2006 6:19 AM

So last night on the train I saw a passenger with a small blue paper book titled "OFFICIAL CYPHER"

On the Orange Line heading home from work, northbound train, just passed Downtown Crossing (Boston) and I see a 20ish clean cut guy in trendy clothes reading this small book.

The book was the same size and shape of a passport (slim, rounded corners) although it was stapled at the binding, not sewn. Cover was paper, medium blue, the same color of school exam books. Title was printed in all caps in a black serif font on the front cover. Below the title were two lines of smaller text that I could not make out. No other marks on the cover, front or back.

I was curious, but I didn't feel like asking a stranger: "Hi, I can't help but notice you are reading something about cyphers, which implies you are interested in keeping things private. Wanna spill it and tell me what this is about?"

Only online reference I can find is about theMasons,. I don't think that's right, unless Masonic Lodges are activly recruiting 20 something metrosexuals.

Any ideas? The guy was in no way hiding the book so I'm guessing it is public knowledge.

posted by sol to grab bag (10 comments total)

"unless Masonic Lodges are activly recruiting 20 something metrosexuals."

As their membership ages, they of necessity are.
posted by orthogonality at 6:24 AM on March 21, 2006

Actually, I hear Masons advertising on the radio locally in the Boston area all the time now. Ads are along the lines of listing who some important historical masons were, and then listing a contact phone number for more information, so I would agree, yes they are actively recruiting.

That being said, I have no idea about the connection to a Cypher book.
posted by genefinder at 6:40 AM on March 21, 2006

It may have been a book of rap lyrics, no?
posted by rxrfrx at 6:48 AM on March 21, 2006

The connection with a Cypher book is that many of the Masonic Ritual books are written in a standardized Masonic Cypher.

Massachusetts still uses an Official Cypher, Connecticut and some other areas do not: (source)

Has published a ritual cipher book for many years. It is called the Official Cipher. The current edition is dated 1992 and is published by the GL of Massachusetts. It is said to be a combination of cipher and words.

The cypher is a lot of abbreviations and little symbols standing for things like the directions, words and phrases that get used a lot, etc. It's not too bad once you get used to it, but I can't quickly find any copies online.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:11 AM on March 21, 2006

Oh and that color/style of binding/size is very common among Grand Lodge publications; older cypher books are in leather with snap covers. So yes, he's trying to learn the cypher. I know Mass. is, well, 'recruiting' as well as they can because they had an open Lodge a few months ago, but you can't actively recruit - you have to ask.

The average population of Lodges is way up in the 55+ range right now and there has been a steady decline since the '50s.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:13 AM on March 21, 2006

Sounds like an attention whore or a dufus. People that are interested in keeping things private don't pull out cypher books on public transportation. I believe you could have asked him and he would have been more than happy to share.

Could it have been something from a game?
posted by Pollomacho at 7:17 AM on March 21, 2006

(Actually, if cobaltnine's right and the Masons can't recruit someone who hasn't expressed interest, the guy on the train had the perfect strategy: hold up his SECRET CODE BOOK in plain sight and wait for someone to get curious.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:20 AM on March 21, 2006

Pollomacho writes "People that are interested in keeping things private don't pull out cypher books on public transportation. "

He's not necessarily a Mason, could just be a guy interested about Masons reading source material.
posted by Mitheral at 1:56 PM on March 21, 2006

I dated a girl in high school who was a "rainbow girl", which is part of the whole Masonic thing. So yeah, they're still getting them young and old, esp. if the parents or grandparents were involved at some point (or still are).
posted by davejay at 3:08 PM on March 21, 2006

Their general thing, Masons, is if you want to be one, you have to ask one.

About the cipher, I don't know. I was a Rainbow Girl, we didn't have them, but then since it was a society for teenage girls, that could be expected. I've not seen an official cipher of any sort around the old homestead (heavily Masonic family). That does not, however, preclude the notion that there is one.
posted by angeline at 10:50 PM on March 22, 2006